Hindustan Times: New Delhi: Sunday,
October 30, 2016.
The city
police have deployed nearly 1,500 personnel to guard hundreds of people, from
politicians to even widows of gangsters, officials said, but 10% of them don’t
face any threat and allegedly avail the security cover as a status symbol.
An HT
application under the RTI Act revealed that 468 VIPs have availed 1,446
personal security officers (PSOs) under different categories – X,Y, Z and Z+.
The number doesn’t include armed guards which come with only Z and Z+ security.
The number of PSOs is 20% more than last year’s figure.
While VIPs
and other people in top government positions get PSOs from Delhi Police’s
security branch on the recommendation of the home ministry, 146 individuals
fall in another category protected by the local police. Several people in this
category have availed PSOs citing threat from property disputes or gang wars
they are caught in.
In outer
Delhi, the majority of PSOs have been given to female family members of
gangsters killed by rivals, said police officials who spoke to HT on the
condition of anonymity.
Dealing with
demands for PSOs is tricky, officials said, as people allegedly stage-manage
the threat to them and avail the security cover, as much a status symbol for
many in the country as the red beacon on official vehicles. “80% security is
positional. Cabinet ministers, judges, Delhi’s CM, etc, get security due to
their position. The remaining are not entitled to any security,” said another
senior police officer.
“Out of these
20%, only 10% genuinely need it. The other 10% have availed it either due to
political reasons or by making bogus claims of threat on their lives.”
Sources cited
the case of right-wing Hindu leader Swami Chakrapani, who bought underworld don
Dawood Ibrahim’s car at an auction in Mumbai on December 9, 2014, and a
fortnight later publically burnt it in Ghaziabad to condemn terror. Seven
months later, he alleged threat from another crime lord, Chhota Shakeel, and
got himself Z category security by Delhi Police on the recommendation of the
home ministry.
Senior
leaders of the Hindu Mahasabha even wrote to the prime minister alleging that
Chakrapani’s car-burning act was to get security to intimidate others and carry
on his land grabbing activities. Chakrapani refutes the charge.
“There is
trend to do something against terror outfits or make anti-Pakistan statement
and then ask for security,” said a senior officer in the security branch.
The Delhi
Police reply also revealed that 82 people have been availing government
security for the past 10 years.
Police
officials said that removing security is more challenging. “The moment we
proceed to remove the cover, the person uses all means such as his political
connections, fake claims of fresh threats from terrorists etc., to make a
strong case in his favour,” said one of the officers.
While X
category security gets two PSOs, Y category gets three. The rest two
categories, Z and Z+, gets PSOs, armed guards along with other facilities.
“Around 20 people have Z and Z+ security,” said an officer.
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